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DEVICE FOR DRAWING FIBERS Filed Aug. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z71wen6o1': Oslcar K'nq By Okfl h Attorneys United States Patent 3,070,848 Patented Jan. 1, 1963 ice 3,070,848 DEVICE FOR DRAWING FIBERS Oskar Kiinig, Kiupfelstrasse 6, Stuttgart, Germany Filed Aug. 27, 1957, Ser. No. 680,495 Claims priority, application Germany Aug. 31, 1956 12 Claims. (Ci. 19-236) This invention relates to a device for drawing fibers.

Bands of fibers, rovings, or the like, are now drawn by means of two pairs of rollers, namely, a pair of drawin rollers and a pair of drawing rollers. The latter consists of a top drawing roller and a lower drawing roller. It was found that these prior art drawing rollers often render the drawn band of fibers non-uniform. Some of the prior -art top rollers use a soft roller covering, giving an elastic contacting surface between the top drawing roller and the lower drawing roller which presents certain advantages for the drawing operation but at the same time may have various detrimental effects upon the drawn band of fibers.

An object of this invention is to provide a device for the drawing of fibers which retains by comparatively simple means the advantages provided by a comparatively Wide common contacting surface between the two drawing rollers, without having the drawbacks inherent in the use of a soft roller covering.

Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention, it was found possible to eliminate the drawbacks of prior art drawing devices by the provision of a device for drawing fibers wherein the fibers are drawn between a pair of draw-in rollers, and a pair of drawing rollers the latter engaging each other along, a clamping line and wherein at least one of the drawing rollers is provided with a bendable and preferably elastic jacket. The inner circumference of this jacket is larger than the outer circumference of a pressure roller enclosed thereby and the axes of the cylindrical jacket and of the enclosed pressure roller are located at a distance from each other, the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller being preferably small in comparison to the diameter of the jacket.

Throughout this specification and claims the term clamping line is used to designate the line of intersection of the surface of contact of the two drawing rollers with the plane passing through the axes of the bottom roller and the pressure roller.

Due to this arrangement, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have a comparatively wide contacting surface between the two drawing rollers, which has a good action upon the drawing of the fibers. On the other hand, the drawbacks resulting from a wide contacting surface provided by a soft covering, which were present in prior art constructions, do not occur, since the pressure of'the top roller is substantially distributed over a very narrow longitudinal zone of the contacting surface, as if the top roller were provided with a very hard contacting surface. Thus the present invention succeeds in combining the advantages afforded by soft as well as hard roller surfaces, without being subjected to any of the drawbacks of these constructions.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the iiiventive idea, the clamping line is located at a distance from the connecting platne extending between the axis of the jacket which encloses at least one pressure roller and the axis of the lower drawing roller.

This arrangement of the clamping line results in an asymmetrical distortion of the jacket relative to the clamping line and this asymmetry can be influenced practically in any desired manner by the selection of the distance, up to the extreme condition wherein the distortion of the jacket takes place substantially only upon the pressure roller, since this decreases friction.

one side of the clamping line and, preferably counter to the direction of the drawing operation.

When a non-uniform distribution of the deformation of the jacket takes place upon both sides of the clamping line, it may be advantageous in certain cases to deform the jacket differently in the drawing operation depending upon the fibrous material being used; for example, extensive deformation is usually advisable when a good source of fibers is being treated, while a less extensive deformation is often advantageous when the source contains very many short fibers.

It may be advantageous in certain instances to mount the pressure roller enclosed in the jacket in such manner that it can carry out an oscillatory movement in a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the pressure roller. By way of example, this can be accom plished by providing a suitable guiding element within the jacket. To secure a uniform oscillatory movement of the pressure roller, this guiding element is advantageously mounted to engage the middle of the pressure ro-ller'and this guiding element can consist of, for example, an annular flange which constitutes a part of a ball bearing.

It should be noted, however, that besides this type of guiding means, other constructions can be provided which guide the pressure roller and which permit its oscillation within a predetermined range. The above described oscillation of the pressure roller can be advantageous in certain types of construction. 1

The inner diameter of the jacket of the present inven tion can be selected at will. The inner radius of the jacket can be smaller than, equal to, or greater than the sum of the radius of the above-described guiding element and the diameter of the pressure roller.

To influence the deformation of the jacket, it is advantageous to provide within the jacket behind the pressure roller at least one supporting element, for example, a supporting roller rotatable about an axis which is approximately stationary in space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting roller has the same diameter as the pressure roller and is located at the same distance from the central line or axis of the jacket. In such case the supporting roller is advantageously supported inwardly against the same guiding element as the pressure roller.

The guiding means and stops for the pressure roller, as well as for the supporting roller, can be provided in the form of a cage frame, and advantageously two cage frames are mounted at an axial distance from each other. These cage frames have corresponding recesses so as to provide guiding surfaces for the rollers, while stops can be formed by correspondingly bent flaps of these frames.

It may be advantageous to provide for the best possible operation of the jacket during the drawing operation by employing several supporting rollers which may be distributed over the entire inner circumference of the jacket. Preferably, the supporting rollers are so arranged that with the exception of the deformation taking place close to the clamping line, the jacket will deviate as little as possible from the round cylindrical shape. The supporting rollers can then have any suitable diameter, and in many cases it is advantageous to provide at least some of the supporting rollers with a smaller diameter than These supporting rollers can be easily guided in the abovedescribed cage frame, and if the supporting rollers have a smaller diameter than the pressure roller, then advantageously this cage frame is so shaped that the supporting rollers are fixed in their radial position with respect to the jacket.

To further diminish friction of the supporting rollers in the cage frame, it may be also advantageous to provide for the supporting rollers 21 spindle bearing, for example, in that the front ends of the supporting rollers are provided with pivots which are supponted or guided in corresponding openings or slots of the cage frame.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example, preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of FIGURE 2, parts thereof being shown in section.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of FIGURE 1, parts thereof being shown in section.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a cage frame used in conjunction with the device shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4- is a sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating a somewhat different construction.

FIGURE 5 shows another embodiment of a part of the device shown in FIG. 2.

FIGURE 6 shows a third embodiment of a part of the device shown in FIG. 2.

The device shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 includes a frame 10 carrying a lower draw-in roller 11 and a lower drawing roller 12. The roller 11 carries a small supporting band 15 which passes over a guide rail 16.

The carrier for the upper rollers, which is generally designated by the numeral 18, includes a casing which is substantially U-shaped in cross section. Two guide bolts 22 and 23 are mounted in the side walls of the easing 20 and carry supporting arms 25 and 70, respectively. The guide arm 25 has a saddle portion 28 which carries an axle 30 supporting the upper draw-in roller 34. The roller 34 is engaged by an upper supporting belt 38 which passes over a guide rail 39. A pressure spring 40 is located between the top of the casing 20 and the guide arm 25 so as to exert pressure upon the guide arm. Similarly, a pressure spring 41 is located between the top of the easing 20 and the arm 70 to exert pressure upon the arm 70.

The roving indicated by the numeral 33 in the drawings passes through the drawing frame in the direction of the arrows.

The above-described parts of the drawing frame are known in the art and are illustrated diagrammatically, since they do not constitute a part of the present invention.

The guide arm 70 carries an axle generally designated by the numeral 72 and best shown in FIGURE 2. To prevent rotationof the axle 72 relative to the arm 70, the axle 72 has at least one surface 74, which is engaged by a side arm 75 of the saddle 29 located at the front end of the guide arm 70.

It will be noted that the two halves of the axle 72 are symmetrically constructed in relation to its middle portion 73. Consequently, hereinafter only the left-hand portion of the axle 72 (looking in the direction of FIGURE 2) will be described, since the right-hand half is the same. The illustrated half of the axle 72 includes a cylindrical portion 80, and adjacent to the left-hand end of the cylindrical portion 80, the axle 72 has the form of a pivot 81. The pivot 81 is provided with a ball bearing 83 which presses against the side surfaces formed between the axle portions 80 and 81. The outer ring of the ball bearing 83 has the shape of an annular flange 84 which cooperates with an upper pressure roller 85.

A disc 88 is rotatably mounted upon the cylindrical portion 80 of the axle 72. The disc 88 is used to seal the bearing from the escape of oil in a manner known per se and not further illustrated. Furthermore, another disc 89 is rotatably mounted upon the end of the pivot 81. Since in accordance with this construction the pivot 81 .does not extend through the disc 89, additional means to provide a seal are not required. The discs 88 and 89 have annular grooves and a jacket 90 consisting of a yieldable and preferably elastic material, is fixed in these grooves. The jacket 90 has an inner radius which preferdirection.

ably is approximately equal to the sum of the radius of the annular flange 84 and the diameter of the pressure roller 85. Furthermore, the jacket 90 is so arranged that it can yield to a predetermined amount in the radial direction. By way of example, this is attained in that the jacket 90 has flange portions 91 engaging the above mentioned annular grooves of the discsSS and 89. It is possible to provide within the jacket 90 lubricating oil or lubricating fat in such amounts that the rollers will be adequately lubricated.

A cage frame 101 is rigidly mounted upon the portion of the axle 72, while a cage frame 102 is rigidly mounted upon the pivot 81 of the axle 72. As best shown in FIGURE 3, the cage 101 has three arms 103, 104 and 105 which extend approximately in the radial direction, and which are provided with guiding surfaces 186, 107, 168 and 109. The pressure roller cooperates with the guiding surfaces 106 and 107, while a supporting roller 110 cooperates with the guiding surfaces 108 and 109. Stops 112 and 113 extend out of the cage frame 101, as shown in FIGURE 2, and are used to limit the axial movement of the roller which they engage. In the example illustrated, these stops are so arranged that the rollers 85 and 110 contact the annular flange 84. The member 102 is shaped similarly to the member 101.

Obviously, these stops can also be so formed that they will also determine the position of the rollers in the radial direction, and in that case the guiding element in the form of the annular flange can be dispensed with entirely. This is illustrated in FIGURE 6.

The manner in which the deformation of the jacket takes place is clearly indicated in FIGURE 1. The clamping line between the lower drawing roller 12 and the pressure roller 85, is designated by the numeral in FIGURE 1, while the outer line of contact between the jacket 90 and the lower drawing roller 12 directed toward the plane of the drawing operation, is designated by the numeral 93, the two lines 93 and 95 being shown in section in FIGURE 1. The plane connecting the geometrical center line of the jacket 90 and the axis of the lower drawing roller 12, is indicated by the line a-a in FIGURE 1; it is apparent that the clamping line 95 is located at a distance from this plane.

As is clearly apparent from FIGURE 1, the extent of the deformation can be determined by the position of the supporting roller and by suitably selecting the supporting roller, as is indicated in the illustrated example, it is possible to attain that the jacket 90 at a short distance from the pressure line 93, will again resume a substantially round cylindrical form.

The operation of this device is apparent from the above description. The roving 33 is drawn in by the rollers 11 and 34 and reaches the rollers 12 and 85 wherein it is subject to the drawing operation. It is apparent that this drawing operation combines the advantages of both hard surface and soft surface rollers.

FIGURE 4 shows a construction which is somewhat similar to the one previously described, similar parts being designated by the same numerals.

However, the construction of FIGURE 4 includes a cage which is substantially disc-shapzd, and which has a large number of recesses so as to provide guide surfaces for the pressure roller 85, the supporting roller 110, two additional supporting rollers 121 and 122 of the same diameter as the roller 110, and three additional supporting rollers 123, 124 and 125 of a smaller diameter. As in the previously described example, this cage disc has a plurality of stops and 131 which prevent the axial shifting of the supporting rollers and the pressure roller. As was stated already in connection with the previously described example, the cage disc, or the stops, can be so shaped that the cage disc will determine the innermost position of the supporting rollers in the radial Preferably, two such cage discs are mounted upon the axle 72 at an axial distance from each other in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 also illustrates a guide surface 135 which is used for the guiding of the pressure roller 85, and which is :so arranged that the line connecting the point of contact 136 of the guide surface 135 with the center of the pressure roller 85, extends perpendicularly to the plane passing through the axis of the pressure roller 85 and the clamping line 95.

The arrangement of the jacket 90 can also take place in an entirely different manner than that which has been illustrated.

The disc 38 can be retained while the disc 89 will serve solely for the sealing of the space within the jacket whereby the mounting of the disc 89 upon the pivot 81 can be eliminated (see FIG. 5). This scaling can be carried out in any other suitable manner, for example, the front side of the left portion of the jacket (FIG. 6) can be made of one piece with the jacket itself.

All such and other variations and modifications falling within the present invention are to be included Within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fiber-drawing device having a pair of rollers located one behind the other, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said rollers and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed rollers, and means connected with said jacket for supporting the axis thereof at a distance from the axes of the enclosed rollers, the diameter of the enclosed rollers being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said jacket is elastic.

3. In a fiber-drawing device, a pressure roller, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said pressure roller and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed pressure roller, a guide located within said jacket and connected with said enclosed pressure roller for guiding it, and means connected with said guide and said jacket for supporting the axis of said jacket at a distance from the axis of the enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed presusre roller being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said guide is located in the middle of said jacket.

5. In a fiber-drawing device, a pressure roller, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said pressure roller and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed pressure roller, a rotary supporting roller located within said jacket behind the enclosed pressure roller, and means connected with said supporting roller and said jacket for supporting substantially immovably the axis of said rotary supporting roller and for supporting the axis of said jacket at a distance from the axis of the enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

6. A device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said supporting roller has substantially the same diameter as the enclosed pressure roller.

7. A device in accordance with claim 5, comprising a plurality of additional supporting rollers located along a portion of the inner circumference of said cylindrical jacket.

8. In a fiber-drawing device, a pressure roller, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said pressure roller and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed pressure roller, a rotary supporting roller located Within said jacket behind the enclosed pressure roller, and means connected with said supporting roller and said jacket for supporting substantially immovably the axis of said rotary supporting roller and for supporting the axis of said jacket at a distance from the axis of the enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed pressure drawing roller being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket, said means including substantially radially extending guiding surfaces preventing movement of the supporting roller in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

9. In a fiber-drawing device, a pressure roller, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said pressure roller and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed pressure roller, a rotary supporting roller located within said jacket behind the enclosed pressure roller, a cage frame located within said jacket and having guiding surfaces and stops for said enclosed pressure roller and said supporting roller, said cage frame carrying said enclosed pressure roller and said supporting roller, and means connected with said cage frame and said jacket for supporting the axis of said jacket at a distance from the axis of the enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller-being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

10. A fiber-drawing device with a pair of draw-in rollers and a pair of drawing rollers, the latter pair comprising a top roller and a lower roller, the circumferential velocity thereof being greater than that of the drawin rollers, the top drawing roller having a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing at least one pressure roller; means connected with said jacket for supporting the axis thereof at a distance from the axis of said enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

11. A device in accordance with claim 10, said drawing rollers having a clamping line located at a distance from a plane passing through the axes of the top roller and the lower roller thereof.

12. -In a fiber-drawing device, a pressure roller, a cylindrical bendable jacket enclosing said pressure roller and having an inner circumference which is greater than the outer circumference of the enclosed pressure roller, a plurality of supporting rollers located along a portion of the inner circumference of said cylindrical jacket behind the enclosed pressure roller, some of said supporting rollers having a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller, and means connected with said supporting rollers and said jacket for supporting substantially immovably the axes of said supporting rollers and for supporting the axis of said jacket at a distance from the axis of the enclosed pressure roller, the diameter of the enclosed pressure roller being substantially smaller than the diameter of said jacket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,352,611 Ladd et al Sept. 14, 1920 1,749,156 Pflimlin Mar. 4, 1930 1,809,251 Pflimlin June 9, 1931 1,960,154 Hoover May 22, 1934 2,395,915 Specht Mar. 5, 1946 2,780,840 Ude Feb. 12, 1957 2,789,320 Dausch Apr. 23, 1957 

1. IN A FIBER-DRAWING DEVICE HAVING A PAIR OF ROLLERS LOCATED ONE BEHIND THE OTHER, A CYLINDRICAL BENDABLE JACKET ENCLOSING SAID ROLLERS AND HAVING AN INNER CIRCUMFERENCE WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE OUTER CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE ENCLOSED ROLLERS, AND MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID JACKET FOR SUPPORTING THE AXIS THEREOF AT A DISTANCE FROM THE AXES OF THE ENCLOSED ROLLERS, THE DIAMETER OF THE ENCLOSED ROLLERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID JACKET. 